American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 53, 1455-1459, Copyright © 1991 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Vitamin A status of preterm infants during infancy

JM Peeples, SE Carlson, SH Werkman and RJ Cooke
Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee, Memphis.

Plasma retinol and retinol-binding protein (RBP) were measured in 67 enterally fed preterm infants (750-1398 g) at 33 +/- 2 wk postconceptional age (PCA), and at regular intervals during infancy. Retinol and RBP declined by 35 +/- 2 wk PCA and remained low at 38 wk after discharge, with the infants fed a term-infant formula. At 38 +/- 2 wk PCA, 48% (32 of 67) of these infants had plasma retinol concentrations less than 0.35 mumol/L. Mean retinol and RBP rose over the next 7 mo, but large numbers of infants (26 of 59 at 48 wk, 10 of 61 at 57 wk) had hyporetinolemia (0.35-0.67 mumol/L). Plasma RBP leveled off at 57 +/- 2 wk PCA and remained low (less than 0.95 mumol/L) in many infants throughout the first year of life. Lower plasma retinol and RBP concentrations at 33 and 38 wk correlated with longer periods of intravenous nutrition. At 57 and 69 wk, lower retinol and RBP correlated with higher birth order. Suboptimal vitamin A status may occur for many months after preterm infants are discharged from the hospital.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H Mactier and L T Weaver Vitamin A and preterm infants: what we know, what we don't know, and what we need to know Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed., March 1, 2005; 90(2): F103 - F108. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]